Filters in refrigeration and air conditioning systems as well as refrigerant recycling and recovery systems, are utilized for the filtering of Freon (a DuPont trademark), gas and/or liquid ammonia, and other refrigerant gases and/or liquids. A filter to be replaced is normally saturated or at its breakpoint capacity with contaminates which are detrimental to the performance of refrigerant fluids system. Such contaminates include water, solid particulates, acids, varnish, oil, etc., entrained with the refrigerant fluid. Such filters are normally mounted or received within a cylindrical housing. A removable end cap for the cylindrical housing is normally removed for replacement of the used filter with a new unused filter.
Heretofore, it has been common for cylindrical housings receiving replaceable filters for filtering refrigerant gases or liquids to have an outer flange at one end with a removable cap secured to the flange by a plurality of fasteners, such as screws or nuts and bolts. The plurality of fasteners are spaced at arcuate intervals about the flange with the number of fasteners dependent on the size of the flange. It is time consuming to remove a plurality of fasteners, such as four (4) to ten (10), spaced about the perimeter of the flange for removal of a used filter, and then to remount the fasteners and end cap after replacement of the filter.